Georgia

Georgia was a student at Gower College Swansea studying A’ levels when she enrolled on the ‘Futures Academy’: a bespoke programme designed to develop individual employment pathways for students seeking to progress straight into employment or an apprenticeship on completion of their A level studies. Having always known that university was not the right route for her, Georgia wanted to gain experience of working in the I.T sector so she could start honing her skills and building her career.

“I was really excited about joining the academy and I felt the team could really support me in achieving my career goals. They made me feel like the choices I was making were the right ones, and this gave me a massive confidence boost” – Georgia

Georgia worked closely with Career Coach Emma, and together they decided that the best option would be to pursue an I.T. apprenticeship as it would give Georgia all the necessary skills needed to progress and develop within the industry. Georgia used her time in the academy to gain support with CV compilation and her application writing techniques, improving her ability to emphasise her relevant skills and experience. With the right support in place, Georgia quickly grew in confidence and made fantastic progress.

“It has been more than a pleasure supporting Georgia. Always with a huge smile on her face and a brilliant positive attitude, I knew it would only be a matter of time before we found Georgia the right opportunity where she could flourish” – Emma

In addition to studying for her A’ levels, Georgia also worked part-time in a local bakery.  Showing total commitment to her self-development, Georgia also taught herself the basics of coding in her spare time, ensuring she was doing everything possible to enhance her knowledge and gain as much experience as possible to help her stand out .

Georgia attended regular meetings at our Kingsway Employment Hub and met with Recruitment Consultant, Daniel Parvin, to discuss viable options for pursuing her apprenticeship, the main challenge being sourcing the right opportunity in this highly competitive field. Daniel had been supporting the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) in their recruitment drive to find suitable candidates for upcoming Junior Software Developer Apprenticeships. Knowing Georgia and her skills and capabilities, Daniel naturally matched her to this fantastic opportunity. With Dan’s support and guidance, Georgia completed her application, ensuring to meet all essential criteria for the role.

Georgia’s detailed application impressed the employer and she was shortlisted for interview. With a huge amount of applicants vying for this unique opportunity, Georgia knew she had to perform to the very best of her ability in order to secure the role. With this in mind, Emma and Daniel continued to support Georgia by carrying out multiple mock interview scenarios, consistently practicing competency based questions and appropriate responses. The practical mock interviews allowed Georgia to demonstrate her research and knowledge, show her professionalism and improve her ability to cope well under pressure.

“The mock interviews really helped me clarify my responses to questions the employer was likely to ask me. The constructive feedback was really useful and helped me feel fully prepared. I didn’t feel worried, I just felt ready!” – Georgia

Putting everything into practice, Georgia performed extremely well at interview and effectively demonstrated her excellent interpersonal skills and high levels of motivation. The employer was impressed and Georgia was quickly offered the apprenticeship opportunity. Having shown total commitment to her progress, Georgia is a fantastic role model to those who have career goals in mind but don’t quite know the best way to achieve them. Through the right support and with a clear focus on what she wanted to achieve, Georgia has taken the first step to what is likely to be a highly successful and exciting career journey.

“The whole of the BJBF team are proud of Georgia and what she has accomplished in such a short space of time. Georgia is a fantastic success story and I am so pleased that she has achieved her goal of gaining an I.T apprenticeship with DVSA. I have no doubt that the future looks incredibly bright for Georgia, and I wish her the best of luck for the future” – Daniel